The Cancer Council WA has launched a confronting anti-smoking campaign after fresh research revealed most people do not know smoking can cause cancer in areas of the body other than the lungs, mouth and throat.

Ansell, best known for making rubber gloves and condoms, has grown its profits by more than a third. The company reported a first-half profit of US $87.7 million ($112.8 million), boosted by acquisitions that its chairman Glenn Barnes said are “delivering ahead of expectations”.

South African police say they have discovered the frozen corpses of four newborn babies in freezers at a house in the South African city of Mthatha.

News on Health Professional Radio. Today is the 10th February 2015. Read by Rebecca Foster.

The Cancer Council WA has launched a confronting anti-smoking campaign after fresh research revealed most people do not know smoking can cause cancer in areas of the body other than the lungs, mouth and throat.

The council’s Terry Slevin said the research – which polled 300 people – revealed 61 per cent of non-smokers could name one or two smoking-related cancers.

But among smokers, this rate fell to 39 per cent.

The council has launched the “16 cancers” campaign, which shows the way people are affected by different cancers, including having to eat through a tube, losing the ability to talk and having to undergo surgery to remove growths in the bowel.

“The campaign we are running is challenging and confronting. We make no apologies for that because the truth is the link between smoking and cancer is challenging and confronting,” Mr Slevin said.

“This is an old-fashioned health education campaign that just tells it like it is.

“We hope that message will come through and be buried deep in the minds of smokers and encourage them to take that next step and have their last fag for good.”

Mr Slevin said smoking rates among adults were about 13 per cent, down from around 40 per cent for men in the 1970s.
In Western Australia this equated to a bit over 200,000 smokers.

He said few people recognised the link smoking had to leukaemia, stomach cancer, colorectal cancer and other serious conditions.
“For a major change like quitting smoking something needs to give,” he said.

“If it causes a little bit of discomfort, to achieve the effect of encouraging people to take that step to quit, then that’s a little push we’re happy to provide.”

Ansell, best known for making rubber gloves and condoms, has grown its profits by more than a third.

The company reported a first-half profit of $US87.7 million ($112.8 million), boosted by acquisitions that its chairman Glenn Barnes said are “delivering ahead of expectations”.

In particular, Ansell said the acquisition of US firm BarrierSafe is delivering very strong returns in its key medical and ‘single use’ business units.

“While there are still more benefits to be realised from these acquisitions, their successful integration has allowed our balance sheet to strengthen and now positions us well for further strategic acquisition opportunities,” said Ansell’s CEO Magnus Nicolin.

Ansell said its sexual wellness business, which makes up 13 per cent of its revenue, recorded a 0.7 per cent rise in sales and 5 per cent increase in pre-tax profit.

The company’s sales were up 20 per cent, with earnings per share rising 16 per cent, due to a larger number of shares on issue.

Ansell’s interim dividend … payment of 20 US cents a share was up 18 per cent, and will grow by more than twice that percentage for Australian investors after the recent slide in the local currency against the greenback.

However, the dividend is unfranked.

Ansell is maintaining its earnings guidance for the full financial year at $US1.18-1.26 per share, a rise of 7-15 per cent, saying that conditions are mixed, with improving conditions in the US offset by weaker demand in Europe and Brazil, turmoil in Russia and uncertainties in the Middle East and Africa.

Ansell shares rose 7.6 per cent to $24.82 by 10:33pm (AEDT) in response to the results.